I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke... Motorhome?

The
GadAbout was a GMC MotorHome customized for Coca-Cola, which gave away five in
its 1977 “Travelstakes” giveaway. Four or five more were built for Coca-Cola
bottlers. The GMC MotorHome was more advanced and easier to drive than other
motorhomes of the period. Photo courtesy of Bill Bryant.

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Chad Stelling (second from right) with his GadAbout and
friends at a local event called Pumpkin Patch. Photo courtesy of Chad Stelling.

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There
were 25 second prize awards of two weeks’ use of a standard GMC MotorHome plus
$3,000 cash. Photo courtesy of Bill Bryant.

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Among
the custom flourishes exclusive to the GadAbout was the Coca-Cola bottle cap
style spare wheel cover. Photo courtesy of Bill Bryant.

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Chad Stelling found this GadAbout for sale in Washington
State in 2012 and drove all night from home near Portland, Oregon with his wife
to make sure he was the first buyer in line. Photo courtesy of Chad Stelling.

(Photo Credit: )

“You never know what is going to come through that door,” Rick Harrison, host of the Pawn Stars series on The History Channel, says during the show’s opening credits. But even Harrison was taken aback by what a man brought to -- or rather drove to -- his Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas in 2011: a 26-foot, six-wheel Coca-Cola themed motorhome.

Harrison, who in the episode says he’s sold a lot of Coke memorabilia, was impressed with the vehicle but wouldn’t bite at the seller’s final $42,000 asking price.

Was it the real thing?

The 1977 motorhome, built by General Motors’ GMC Truck and Coach Division and customized for Coca-Cola as the GadAbout, was one of five that Coke gave away in a national sweepstakes that year. Another four or five were offered to Coca-Cola bottlers. The GadAbout was based on the GMC MotorHome built from 1973-1978 and known by a fairly radical design that was lower, sleeker and easier to drive than other motorhomes of the time.